One of the popular questions we get at our seminars is; why do I run out of time each week? They will tell us how they set up goals and priorities but still run out of time. The simple answer is, that they did not factor in the standard list of priorities (basic needs and relationships). You can do a great job is creating your bucket list or passion list but that is not all there is. You spend time on basic needs like food, housing, finances, health, etc. And you spend time on your relationships. So your top priority listed item may be feed the whales but you spent all your time recovering from an illness, fixing your home, or developing a relationship. Most people recognize this but do not realize the amount of time these items may take. For example I scheduled a camping trip for all day Friday and some time on Thursday to clean up the camper. That same week I had to repair the car, fix somethi ng on the house, my partner was sick, and I had physical therapy. While all these things were somewhat schedules I was no where close to the amount of time it took. A further example, I had one houre for physical therapy. In reality it took over two hours to get ready, drive there, do the activity, and drive back. The next thing I know I am at the end of the week and nothing on my “bucket” list got done and camping on Friday was canceled.
Factor in those default activities along with “reality” time for each. You should expect that these activities will sometimes take more time than you estimated. The real problem is when you discover that every week you run out of time. You are spending all your time on basic needs and no time on your list. Now it is time to re-look at what you want to accomplish.
The same think that happens in lifs will happen in business. You spent some time doing strategic planning (that is your business bucket list) and at the end of the year you did not realize any of your business goals. Take another look at what is important and factor in some realistic time spent on the basic hidden needs.